Propelled torpedo.



No. 895,870. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908. H. LACY.

PROPELLED TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED JULY26, 1907.

3 SH'EETSSHBET l.

. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

H. LACY. PROPELLBD TQRPEDO. APPLICATION IILED JULY 26, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 No. 895,870. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908. H. LACY.

PROPELLED TORPEDO.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 26, 1907-.

3 SHEETSS}IEET 3.

ments in and Relating to Propelled UNITED STATES PATENT FENCE.

HOWARD LACY, OF GARSHALTON, ENGLAND.

PROPELLED 'ronrnno.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, HOWARD LACY, a subect of the King of Great Britain, residing at (elvin, Camden Road, Carshalton, in the county of Surrey, England, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improveorpedoes, of which the following is a specification. This invention is designed by the placing of powerful magnets shaped to conform with the bow of anytype of torpedonow used in naval operations to constitute What may be termed a magnetic torpedo. The object being to utilize magnetic forces to direct the torpedo against the hull of iron or steel vessels. These magnetic torpedoes are suitable first, as an improved means of attack by providing greater accuracy of shot, whether the target be moving or stationary; second, as a means of harbor defense, each individual torpedo bein capable of coveri more given area in a harbor than is possible y any resent method of using mines or torpedoes; third, as a means of counter 'ning, and

clearing a harbor defended by the enemies mines or torpedoes.

The application ofthese powerful magnets in the bows of torpedoes can be efiected by connection with a source of electrical power on shore or on board a vessel or with storage batteries located within the torpedoes themselveswhether those torpedoes be of s ar type-the uncontrolled type-the controlled type which type again may be subdivided as the mechanically and the electrically controlled torpedoes.

Torpedoes are definitel assigned .two distinct functions in war are :-first, as the armaments of shi s and boats; second, as forming part of t fensesbut with the addition of magnets a third function becomes possible viz :as a method of countermining and attacking the harbor of an enemy.

The force of attraction produced by ma netism is a great deal more owerful than is ordinarily supposedand t e more heavily armored and-powerful the vessel the greater the force of attraction exerted. All vessels of iron or steel constitute in themselves very powerful magnets and their magnetic attraction serves to enhance the effective force of the electro magnet contained within the torpedo directed a ainst it. The torpedo furnished as descriied when traveling towards an object of attack is easily diverted from its e submarine harbor de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 26, 1907. Serial No. 385,749.

Patented A g. 11, 1908.

normal course and the inherent directive When the mass forming t e tar et is mov mg on a course parallel to a vessel ischarging the torpedo and movin in the opposite direction certain causes 0% deflection arise and consequent error in aim is liable to arise and involves intricate calculation to avoid it. Again assumin the object-mass and the discharging vesse to be travelin on a parallel course in the same direction ut not at the same speed similarly intricate calculation is necessary to avoid error.

With the aid of this invention the chances of error are reduced owing to the attraction of the object-mass for the magnetic field of the magnet in the bow of the torpedo and the influence exerted thereby to bring the two bodies into collision operates stron ly in aid of the attainment of correctness 0% aim besides the saving of time and facility for more rapid launching. The error of aim when launching naturally becomes enhanced as the distance increases, while the influence of the object-mass becomes the stronger in attracting the torpedo back to the correct path the nearer those two bodies ap roach.

I place within the bow end of a torpedo an electro-magnet of the construction hereinafter mentioned and of a contour conforming to the internal shape of said bow for a double purpose. A primary object in view is that when a torpedo has been aimed and is running somewhere wide of the object it is designed tostrike (say an iron or steel vessel) to utilize the magnetic attractive force exerted by such iron or steel mass to correct-the course followed and obtain the desired effect, and when such deviation has been rectified and the torpedo has been brought into contact with the object, to retain it in such contact until such time has arrived, as may to those directing the operations seem fit, for causing the destructive explosion. The combined, or contending forces of pro ulsion and magnetic attraction are thus utilized to attain the desired arrival of the torpedo at its destination.

Figure 1 shows in plan view a portion of the bow of a torpedo shell. Fig. 2 is a front view of the pair of coned ends of the electro magnets seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional dia rammatic plan view to an enlarged scale of t e front or coned end of one of the electromagnets and of a part of-the rear end of the same the middle portion being broken away for convenience of the drawing. -Fig. 4 is a similar sectional diagrammatic view to Fig. 3

of the magnet but taken near the rear end of the same.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the winding is assumed t have been carried as far only as the third sized wire. I

a indicates the core, vb the-spreaders, c the diamagnetic plates, at the cones, e the first or coarsest layers of winding, f the next or medium la ers in thickness, the finest and outermost layers, h the insu ating material la erqil between each layer ofwmding, 'i is tli e y,o e. a

In Fig. 1 where fourdiiferent sizes of wire are assumed to be wound, 1, 3, 5 and 7, in-

dioate the beginnings or ingoings of the respective thicknesses of wire winding and 2,

4, 6'and 8, indicate respectively the corres onding outcomings or endings of each tliickness of wire.

To construct an electro magnet for above said purpose a core is assembled as follows 00re.Two bundles of soft iron wires are taken and cut to even len'gths. On the ends intended for the back of the electro magnet s readers are clamped on each of thebund es of soft iron wire such as by means of hydraulic pressure or shrinkage after heating. One end of each bundle a of iron wire asses through the center of a spreader b and is faced up flush with the same. The outside diameter of these spreaders b is preferably twice that of the bundle of iron wire over which it is firmly clamped.

Plates 0, c.After each bundle has had its respective spreader b firmly clam ed u on it a plate 0 of diamagnetic materia of at er brass, copper, or aluminium formed with a hole in the center lar e enough to enable the plate 0 to be easily sipped on to the bundle and it is laced in metallic contact with the spreader These diamagnetic plates 0 should have an outside diameterlarge enough to hold the helices of superimposed insulated wires of high electrical conductivity which are to be wound on these cores, (1, a.

Cones, d.-On the other end of each bun-- dle a of soft iron wire which is intended for the front end of the electro-magnet are now shrunk, either by means of hydraulic ressure, heatin or like means, and firmly ed cones of so wrought iron, proportioned as follows as nearly as ossible to suit the build of torpedo Within w ich this form of electroma net is to be placed. The base 10 of eac cone (1 in diameter should "equal the diameter of the bundle 'of'iron wire plus a thickness of material left after havingbored out the base of the cone to a depth sufficient to firmly hold the core a in fibrous contact.

semevo Havin bored out the cones (1 they are fixed firmly y means of h draulic or like meanseach on lts own bun le of wire. The lengths of the cones d are each governed by the len th of the bundle of soft iron wire to point on the cone base line and drawing ane to the point, measured on the straight side making. its le th. A piece is now cut off from the a x 0 each cone at right angles to their lengt so that the diameter of the section obtained is about to i an inch. The two bundles of soft. iron wire a with spreaders b and diamagnetic plates 0 at the back ends and each with a cone of ual length on the front ends are yoked toget er at t e back end by asoft iron yoke & having a dimension in square'inches equal to one half the length of one of the bundles of wire a and this may be made more clear as follows :Multigly the outside diameter of one of the sprea ers b by the said half-length which will make the number of square inches required: as an example suppose spreader to e ual 2 and length of iron wire bundle is 30 mches the half this being 15 Then the yoke ada ted thereto should be 15 square inches, we ave 2" for width, multiplied b 7 i ==15, and yoke is therefore 2 wide an 7% long. i When fixing the yoke 11 on the spreaders b of the two bundles of soft iron wire a the straight sides of the cones (I should be parallel and facing each other inside. The yoke is fastened on the spreaders bystuds set in the spreaders and nuts holdin the yoke on firmly to the face of the sprea ers the joints being water-tight and as mechanically perfect as possible.

The wi'ndi .After the cores have been insulated by a wra ping of tape and shellac, or similar means t e wmdin of'the helices are started on one bundle ii I on the other left handed. T e helix on each core is constructed with four or more different sized wires. Although in Figs. 3 and 4 this construction is only carried as far as the completion ofthe third thickness and the order of placingthem on should be to wind the first two la ers on each core with the heaviest of the our or more different sized wires chosen; then the next smaller size for four more layers, then the next size smaller (than to that with which the last four layers were wound) is taken and wound on for six layers, and if only four sizes of insulated mm are to be used to form the helix on each t handed and bore the smallest size of the four is utilized with which to wind on ei ht layers, making a total of twenty layers of graduated sizes of' insulated wire commencing with the heaviest size next to the core and finishin with the finest size of the wires chosen on t e outside of each helix. Another feature of this windin is that each layer of wire wound is careinsulated from'its neighboring layer by she lac -and aper or sinnlar means. Another feature 1s' that the beginnings andends of each-of the different sized insulated hi h conducting wires forming the helix is broug t out through holes in the diamagnetic plates at back end of magnet to enable-combinations to be made as follows:series, multiple, series multi le, multiple series, multipleseriesseries-mu tiple, shunt series, shuntmultiple, shunt-multi le-series, shunt-seriesmultiple, and so on; t c more wires the more combinations so that the electro-magnet can be adjusted to have effective power according to the electric current produced and utilized from a source of supply. Another feaof Winding for this size, for

.again' turning back the wire ture of this winding of the helices on the cores is that the direction of the winding of the wire round the core is reversed at the end of every second layer. The first wire e wound on the core being the heaviest is wound on fortwo layers, say right handed,. then taking the second sized wire f the direction of the winding for the first two layers of this size are wound on left handed and after these two layers are on and this same sized wire is turned back on itself and the next two layers are wound on right handed. Taking now the third'sized wire 9 the windingis started in left handed direction for two layers. Then the wire is turned back on itself and two layers wound on in right handed direction, the same sized wire is then turned back on itself a ain and two more layers are wound on 1e t handed. Taking now the fourth sized wire not shown on Figs. 3 and 4 the winding is put on for two layers right handed. Then turning back this wire on itself wind on two layers left handed, on itself wind on two layers right handed and finally turning back the wire on itself reversin the direction 516 third time two more layers are wound on left handed; all these layers are to be carefully insulated from each other and the beginnings 1, 3, 5, 7, and ends 2, 4, 6, 8, see Fig.--1, of the four sizes'of wire are brought out freeof the windings or helix for the purpose above stated.

Another feature of this winding is that the first two layers 6 next to the core a of the heaviest size wire (of the four sizes chosen) are wound on the length of the core a extending from the diamagnetic plate 0 to the juncture of the cone (1 with the bundle of soft iron wire a. The first layer of the second sized wire f is wound on from the diamagnetic pends on the form v the electro-magnet is to be placed, and the meet each plate 0 along the whole length of the cone 6 of soft iron wire and continued out along the cone to a'point within one inch of where the cone was cut off (at 12) and from this point the fourth layer of the ma continuously c. The fift net is wound on layer is wound on over the last layer beginning at the diamaglrligtic plate out i an inch ofto 'a point on the cone wit where thethird and fourth layer of the'ma net extended; the sixth layer is wound bac r from this point back to the diamagnetic plate, the seventh layer is wound from the diamagnetic plate out to a point within-an incho the point on thecone where the fifth and sixth ended and be an, and the eighth layer from this oint bac to the diamagnetic plate; the nint and tenth layers are wound on from the diamagnetic late to within an inch of where the vsevent and eighth extended on the cone, and so on, shortening the length of the layers till this shortening brings the layers equal in length to that length which obtained in the first two layers on the core. This shortening of the layers also deof the bow ,within which form and shape of the 'cones are changed to articular case; either by lengthening the istance of the windings along the cone for the the outward form of the cone more obtuse or by shortenin the distance the windin s extend along t e cone of the different ayers with relatlon to each other, and thus making the outward form of the finished electro magnet with a cone more acute in form.-

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is g- 1. The combination with a torpedo, of a magnet mounted in the bow or nose thereof back to the-fiamagnetic'plate different layers and this making a for msuring collision between the torpedo} and a vessel or other object, comprising a composed of a plurality of superposedlayers of wire surrounding the core and the cone thereon.

3. The combination with atorpedo, of a magnet mounted in the bow or nose thereof comprising a core, and a set of superposed 110 core and a set of superposed layers of windlayers of wire wound thereon, the axial lengths of the layers decreasing progressively at one endof the core, and the size of the wire decreasing correspondingly with the decrease in axial length of the respective layers.

4. The combination with a torpedo, ofa magnet mounted in the bow or nose thereof, comprising a core, 7 extension pole pieces thereon conforming in shape to the nose of the torpedo, and layers of wire wound on the core, the wire of the several layers diminishing in size from the core outwards and correspondin 1y increasing in the number of layers or each sized wire, such windings being reversed at the end of each second layer, and the ends of the wire composing each winding being brought to the exterior of the magnet to enable the several windings to be connected up in different combinations with a source of current sup ly whereby the strength of the magnet may e varied, layers of insulating material interposed between each layer of wire, a spreader clamped on the rear end of the core, and a diamagnetic plate positioned by the said spreader and serving to retain the windings of wire in place.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

HOWARD LACY.

Witnesses:

ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, JOHN CooDE WARE. 

